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Caption

Scott Carpenter, American astronaut, being recovered from Atlantic Ocean after his successful Mercury Atlas 7 mission. A diver helps Carpenter into a life raft while the Aurora 7 capsule floats nearby. Carpenter (1925-2013) was a naval officer, test pilot, aeronautical engineer and astronaut. He piloted the Mercury-Atlas 7 (MA-7) mission launched on 24th May 1962. This was the second American mission to put a human in Earth orbit. It was a success, with Carpenter completing three Earth orbits in five hours in the Mercury capsule Aurora 7. However, a targeting mishap during re-entry took the spacecraft about 400 kilometres off course, delaying recovery of Carpenter and the craft.